The Lede

Mortgage applications increased from one week earlier as home buyers took advantage of lower interest rates, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported this morning in its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 23.

Top National News

Yahoo.com, Nov. 27, 2018--Melody Hahm"The notable deceleration in median home price growth, 3.8% in October compared to roughly 6% in 2017, is a positive sign, as it indicates that home prices are rising at a more sustainable pace," according to Mortgage Bankers Association Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni.

National Mortgage News, Nov. 27, 2018--Elina Tarkazikis (subscription)As the mortgage industry points to the lagging technology efforts of other housing market segments as a pain point in streamlining the process, fintech adoption among real estate and title agents is accelerating, though their optimism on the housing market tanked this fourth quarter, according to First American Financial Corp.'s Real Estate Sentiment Index.

HousingWire, Nov. 27, 2018--Jacob GaffneyIt appears Millennials are growing older and wiser, and the eldest in the generation are buying homes more and more, as the younger ones continue to push up demand for rentals.

CNBC, Nov. 27, 2018--Berkeley Lovelace Jr. The Federal Reserve next month will be forced to hike interest rates for a fourth time in 2018 or risk being seen as politically coerced, economist Mohamed El-Erian told CNBC on Tuesday.

Bloomberg, Nov. 27, 2018--Sho Chandra, Liz McCormickJuiced by President Donald Trump's tax cuts, business investment helped deliver a robust U.S. economy in the first half of 2018, but signs have multiplied that the growth driver is faltering.

Wall Street Journal, Nov. 27, 2018--Peter Grant (subscription)A venture led by Prudential Financial Inc. is spending nearly $600 million for 4,000 housing units aimed at lower-income workers, the latest sign that investors see bigger gains in lower-rent apartments than in the upscale ones that have led the recovery.

The Mortgage Action Alliance, the grassroots advocacy arm of the Mortgage Bankers Association is accepting nominations to fill three at-large seats on its 2019-2020 Steering Committee. Applications will be accepted through Dec. 3.

"The increase in conforming loan limits results from continued strengthening in home prices and a strong demand for housing coupled with constraints on supply." --Mortgage Bankers Association President and CEO Robert Broeksmit, CMB.